Automatic railway-switch-operating mechanism.



N0. 709,lll.

Patented Sept. 16. I902." LA FAYETTE PIERCE. AUTOMATIC RAlLWAV SWITCHOPERATlNG MECHANISM.

- (Application filed Jan. 3, 1902.)

3 Sheets-Shea: I.

(No Model.)

Patented Sept. I6, I902.

LA FAYETTE PIERCE.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

(Application filed Jan. 3, 1902.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

jraz/avzi-ar Lafqggezib H6706 m: cams PETERS ca, PHoraumQ. WASNINGTON.my a No. 709,|||. Patented Sept; I6. I902. LA FAYETTE PIERCE. AUTOMATICRAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

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UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

LA FAYETTE PIERCE, OF MOUNDSVILLE, MISSOURI.

AuToMATm RAILWAY-SWITCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 709,111, datedSeptember 16, 1902. Application filed January 3, 1902. Serial No.88,264. (No model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, LA FAYETTE PIERCE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Moundsville, in the county of Vernon and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticRailway-Switch-Operating Mechanisms, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to automatic railwayswitch-operating mechanisms,and more especially to that class whereby an instrumentality attached toa moving car shall open or close the switch, according to the directionof travel.

My object is to produce a mechanism of this character which throws theswitch efficiently and reliably and looks it in its closed or openposition against accidental movement.

A further object is to produce a mechanism of this character which issimple, strong, durable, and inexpensive of construction and which canbe applied easily, quickly, and at small expense to any of the ordinaryrailwayswitches now in use.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel andpeculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, ashereinafter described and claimed,.and in order that it may be fullyunderstood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway-switch as equipped withoperating mechanism embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged Viewof a part of the same. Fig. 3 is an end View of a car as equipped within'strumentali ties for operating the switch, said figure also showingpart of said mechanism in vertical section. Fig. 4: is an enlargedvertical section taken on the line IV IV of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a planView of the plate for limiting the movement of the switchoperatingmechanism. Fig. 6 is a side view of the car shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, where like reference numeralsdesignate corresponding parts in all the figures, 1 2 designate therails of the main track, the rail 2 embracing a movable portion orswitch-rail 3 of the usual type, the point of said rail being limited asto movement in one direction by contact with the outer side-track rail4:. The inner side-track rail is composed of the stationary portion 5,parallel with portion 4, and the switch-rail 6, parallel with rail 3 andadapted at times to bear against the inner side of rail 1. Rails 3 and 6are connected rigidly together by the cross-bar 7, underlying said railsand rails 1 and 4 and provided with a foot plate 8, embracing tightlythe inner flan go of switch-rail 6, and with a clamping-bolt 9,embracing the flange of switch-rail 3, and pivotally secured upon bolt9, at the inner side of cross-bar 7, is a link 10, said relation ofparts being secured by the retaining-nut 11 engaging bolt 9 below link10. The outer end of the link is pivotally connected by pin 12 with adouble sprocket-wheel, the same comprising the upper section 13 andlower section 14., journaled and secured upon the cylindrical upper end16 of the rigid shaft 15. De-

pending rigidly from said double sprocketwheel is a pin 17, adapted tolimit the movement of the sprocket-wheel in either direction to a littlemore than a half-revolution by contact with shoulder 19 or 20 ofstop-plate '18, preferably mounted upon said standard, as shown. Theobjectin having this movement slightly exceed a half-revolution is tothrow the pivot-pin 12 slightly beyond the plane of alinement occupiedby bolt 9 and the axis of said wheel, as will be understood by referenceto Fig. 1. In said figure it will be noticed that link 10 is slightlyout of alinementwith cross-bar 7 with the switch closed, so that thetendency of the switch to spring open and-permit trains passing in thedirection indicated by the arrow a, Fig. 1, from the main line to theside track shall be prevented, because such tendency is to rotate thedouble sprocket-wheel in the direction indicated by the arrow 1), whichmovement cannot continue, because the pin 17 is arrested by the shoulder19 of the stop-plate. On the other hand, when the switch is opened thatis, occupies the position shown in dotted lines-in order that a trainmay pass from the main to the side track, or vice versa, it is obviousthat the switch cannot be closed, because the tendency is to rotate thedouble sprocket-wheel in the direction opposite to that indicated by thearrow Z) and against the immovable shoulder 20 of the stop-plate, whichshoulder being beyond the plane of alinement of pivot-bolt 9 and theaxis of the sprocket-wheel, like shoulder 19, provides a positive lockagainst accidental movement of the switch, as will be readilyunderstood.

At the outer side of rails 2 and 4and at opposite ends of the switch arelocated, respectively, slotted ways 21 and 22, which being of identicalconstruction will be covered by a single description, as follows: Theway is composed of two parallel bars 23, having their inner edgesdiverging at their ends, as at 24, so as to provide flaring mouths forthe way. Between way 21 and rail 2 is a sprocketwheel 25, journaled on asuitable standard 26 and connected by acrossed flexible connection withsprocket-wheel member 13, said crossed connection comprising asprocketchain section 27 engaging sprocket wheel member 13, asprocket-chain section 28 engaging sprocket-wheel 25, and flexible rodsor wires 29 connecting the ends of one sprocketchain section with theends of the other, a turnbuckle 30 being mounted on each connection, soas to take up slack and keep the connection between the sprockets taut.

Secured rigidly yet adjustably, as by the pin-and-slot connection 31, tothe sprocketwheel 25 are a pair of parallel levers 32 33, having theirouter ends bent outwardly, as at 34, so as to provide a flaring monthbetween them for a purpose which hereinafter appears. These leversoccupy about the same horizontal plane as the upper surface of way 21and in operation are swung from the position shown in full to theposition shown in dotted lines, adistance slightly exceedingaquarterrevolution, owing to the fact that the movement imparted to thedouble sprocketwheel by wheel 25 slightly exceeds a half-revolution. Thelevers 32 33 are adjustable, so that in case of any change in therelative position between the ways and lovers the latter may bereadjusted in order that the inner or inoperative one-viz., 33 in Fig.2shall not project beyond the inner side of the inner bar 23 of the wayand therefore interfere with the introduction therein oftheinstrumentality carried by the car when the latter is travcling inthe direction indicated by the arrow (t, Fig. 1, and in this connectionit will be understood, owing to the quadrant curve of lever 33 formingone side of the flaring mouth of said levers, that should suchinstrumentality strike said inner lever nothing will be broken, becausethe lever will yield inwardly.

Located between the Way 22 and rail 4 is a sprocket-wheel 35 ofprecisely the same construction and arrangement as wheel 25 and providedlikewise with a similar pair of adjustable levers to operate over way 22and project toward the outer or inner end of the same, accordingly asthe first-named levers project toward the outer or inner end of way 21.This sprocket-Wheel 35 is connected to double sprocket-wheel member 14by a conneotion 36 of precisely the same construction as that whichconnects sprocket-wheel. 25 and section 13, except that the connection36 is not a crossed connection.

Referring now to Fig. 3, 37 designates a car of any preferred type andprovided at diagonally opposite corners of its ends with vertical shafts38, suitably journaled and provided at their upper ends with handles 39,whereby the engineer or brakeman can operate them, a pawl-and-ratchetmechanism (not shown, because old and in common use for analogouspurposes) being utilized to lock the shaft at the desired point ofadjustment. Secured upon the lower ends of said shafts are bevel-gears40,meshing with similar bevelgears 41 on short shafts 42, journaled inbearing-brackets 43, depending from the car, said shafts being providedwith crank-arms 44, which normally are held in a horizontal orinoperative position.

In the practical operation of the mechanism it will be apparent that acar traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow a on the maintrack may continue on such track or pass onto the side track, at thewill of the person in control. If it is desired to follow the lattercourse, the person in charge causes the crank-arm at the right-hand sideof the car to assume and be locked in a verticallypendent position, inwhich position it enters the flaring mouth of way 21 and strikes theoutermost leverviz., the lever 32which intersects the way. This lever,together with the connected parts, is swung from the positionshown infull lines to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, at which timethe switch is open and the lever 33 normally inward of the way isbridging the same and ready for operation by a train proceeding in theopposite direction. The corresponding levers at the opposite side of theswitch are at the same time disposed toward the train, which has beenswitched upon the side track in order that said crank-arm may onentering the way 22 strike the outermost or intersecting lever and bythe time it assumes the position shown in full lines effect the completeand reliable closure of the switch. The switch being closed, a trainpassing from the side to the main track will strike lever 32 ofsprocket-wheel 35 and after throwing it to the position shownin dottedlines, Fig. 1, will open the switch, so that the train can pass onto themain track, after which it will engage lever 33, intersecting the way21, (see dotted lines,) and after swinging it to the position shown infull lines effect the closure of the switch. It will thus be seen thatthe passage of atrain from the main to the side track or from the sidetrack to the main track will automatically result in leaving the switchclosed, and thereby guard against possibility of accident.

It is to be understood, of course, that this switch mechanism may beemployed also to operate street-railway switches and that the distancebetween the double sprocket-wheel and sprocket-wheels 25 and 35 may bevaried according to the particular cireumstancesthat is to say, the Wireportions 29 of said connections may be of any desired lengthit beingobviously unnecessary to provide chains of any greater lengthproportionately than those herein shown. I

It will be apparent that the mechanism for operating the switch willserve equally as well for operating signals of any type.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced anautomatic tracks, and a switch operatingin conjunction therewith of awheel, a link pivotally connecting said wheel with saidswitch,train-operated means for rotating said wheel, a stop-plate havingshoulders and a pin depending from said wheel and adapted to engage saidshoulders alternately and when so engaged to occupy a position out ofthe vertical plane occupied by the axis of the wheel to the pivotalpoint of connection of the link with the switch.

2. In anautomatic railwayswitch-operating mechanism, the combination ofmain and side tracks, and a switch operating in conjunction therewith,of a wheel, a link pivotally connecting saidwheel with said switch,wheels geared to the first-named wheel by flexible connections, one ofsaid connections being a crossed connection, parallel levers secured toeach wheel, ways parallel with ,the main and side,

tracks and each intersected by one of its levers or the otheraccordingly as the switch is opened or closed, an adjustabletrain-carried arm for passing successively through said Ways,andoperating said levers, causing the first one to open and the second oneto close the switch, and means to limit the movement of thefirst-mentioned wheel to slightly more than a half-revolution,substantially as described.

3. In an automatic railway-switch-operating mechanism, the combinationof main and side tracks, and a switch operating in conjunctiontherewith, of a sprocket-wheel, a link pivotally connecting said wheelwith said switch, sprocket-wheels at opposite ends of the switch,

a crossed and flexible connection connecting the first-named wheel andthe sprocket-wheel at the main-track. end of the switch, an endlessconnection between the first-named wheel and the other sprocket-wheel,said connections each consisting of chain-sections engaging the wheels,and wires or flexiblerods connecting the chain-sections and providedwith turnbuckles for tensioning the same, parallel levers secured toeach wheel and having outwardly-curved and flaring ends, ways parallelwith the main and side tracks and each intersected by one of its leversor the other accordingly, as the switch is open or closed,

